mid nineteenth century

Image: Crowd of people holding signs marching along street

Beef Riot

In January 1931, during the Great Depression, more than 1000 unemployed men clashed with police in protest at the replacement of beef with mutton on their ration tickets

Historical Event | By Corinne Ball, Migration Museum | North Terrace, Southwest corner | 1930s

Image: parade of floats watched by crowds lining street

Centenary Celebrations 1936

From sporting events to flower festivals and patriotic displays presented by thousands of children, South Australia's Centenary Celebrations emphasised the positive.

Historical Event | By Margaret Anderson, History Trust of South Australia | 1930s

Christmas Pageant

One of the largest pageants in the world, come one, come all to Adelaide’s famous Christmas Pageant!

Historical Event | By Anne Burrows | North Terrace | 1930s, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

Colonel Light statue

Colonel William Light’s statue on Montefiore Hill pointing towards the centre of Adelaide has come to symbolise the city that Light laid out.

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | 1830s, 1840s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1930s, early twenty–first century

Dardanelles Memorial

The first Anzac memorial was once an obelisk in a grove of wattles

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | Parklands | 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, 2000-2010, 2010s, First World War

Image: Bronze statue of a mans upper body

Farnese Hercules

One of three statues given to Adelaide by WA Horn, Hercules was unveiled in October 1892 in Victoria Square.

Historical Thing | By Madeleine Ryan and Pat Stretton, History Trust of South Australia | Parklands | 1890s, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

Image: caucasian man with beard holding a cane poses for photograph in chair

Federation

Throughout the 1890s South Australia was at the forefront of the Federation movement that created the Commonwealth of Australia from six British colonies.

Historical Event | By John Bannon | early twentieth century, late nineteenth century, mid nineteenth century

First World War

The tragedy of war was compounded by disturbance on the homefront in wartime and post-war reconstruction activities.

Historical Event | By Wilfrid Prest, Kerrie Round & Carol Fort | 1910s, 1920s, 1930s

Women arranging flowers on the ground with buildings in the background

Flower Day

Every year between 1938 and 1975 Adelaidians showed pride in their city by beautifying it with mass displays of flowers on National Flower Day.

Historical Event | By John Davis | North Terrace | 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s

Henley-on-Torrens Regatta

In 1910 thousands of people lined the Torrens to see the carnival of lavishly decorated boats in the first Henley-on-Torrens Regatta

Historical Event | By Corinne Ball, Migration Museum | Parklands, River Torrens | 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010, 2010s

John Jefferson Bray Memorial Fountain

The John Jefferson Bray Memorial Fountain commemorates the life of a senior judge, scholar and poet

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | Southeast corner | 1910s, 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1990s

Knot

The shining steel and simple form of Knot typifies the work of sculptor Herbert (Bert) Flugelman.

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010, 2010s

Image: stone fountain shaped like bathtub in front of stone buildings

Lavington Bonython fountain

Affectionately known as the ‘Bonython bath’, this fountain stood outside the South Australian Museum from 1965 to 2005

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1870s, 1890s, 1900-1910, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s

Magarey Medal

An award for the ‘fairest and most brilliant player’ in South Australia’s major Australian Rules football competition

Historical Thing | By Bernard Whimpress | 1890s, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

Image: sculpture of standing man in nineteenth century costume

Matthew Flinders Memorial

A statue to honour Matthew Flinders, the first explorer to circumnavigate Australia, was a long time coming in Adelaide

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1790s, 1800-1810, 1840s, 1900-1910, 1920s, 1930s

Image: a long, narrow tourist boat with a canvas roof is moored at a concrete dock with a metal railing.

Popeye

'Popeye the Sailor' was a popular cartoon at the cinema in the 1930s when Gordon Watts introduced a tourist pleasure craft on the River Torrens

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | River Torrens | 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000-2010

Robert Burns Memorial

One of many around the world, this statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns was unveiled in 1894

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1880s, 1890s, 1930s, 1940s, 1990s

Image: man holding large axe standing on wooden plank embedded in large wooden post

Royal Adelaide Show

The Royal Adelaide Show has become the annual meeting place for country and city.

Historical Event | By Rob Linn | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Bronze bust of Douglas Mawson by Adelaide sculptor John Dowie, 1981

Sir Douglas Mawson bust

The spirit of Antarctic explorer and professor of geology, Sir Douglas Mawson, is captured in the bust by John Dowie

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1880s, 1900-1910, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1980s

The bronze bust of Sir Mellis Napier, sculpted by eminent South Australian artist John Dowie, commemorates his distinguished community service, including to the law and legal profession in South Australia

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1880s, 1890s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s

Song of Australia

‘Song of Australia’ became the accepted national song in South Australia and, for a time, throughout Australia.

Historical Thing | By Kerrie Round | late nineteenth century, late twentieth century, mid nineteenth century, mid twentieth century

Image: The statue of a horse and rider mounting the crest of a hill

South African War Memorial

The mounted trooper reining in his horse commemorates South Australians who served in the South African War (1899-1902).

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1890s, 1900-1910, 1930s, 2000-2010

Image: view of a street corner with telephone box and poles

Stobie Poles

Unique to and ubiquitous throughout South Australia, the ugliness of stobie poles is periodically denounced, as also the mortal damage which they can and do inflict on the occupants of any vehicle unlucky enough to strike one at speed.

Historical Thing | By Patricia Sumerling and Wilfrid Prest | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

Image: bronze statue of a young naked boy in running pose

The Athlete

Once dubbed 'Adelaide's most active statue' the Athlete is now safely installed in the Lord Mayor's Courtyard.

Historical Thing | By Pat Stretton | Central Market, River Torrens, Southwest corner | early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

Image: two people walking through underground brick-walled rooms

Tunnels of Adelaide

Adelaide tunnel tales are a perennial favourite in the popular press, and are cheerfully perpetuated by tour operators and publicans everywhere.

Historical Thing | By Deb Morgan | 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, early twentieth century, early twenty–first century, late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

Venere di Canova

A startled Venus caused consternation as Adelaide’s first public statue in 1892

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1850s, 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s

Victor Richardson Gates

An outstanding all-round sportsman was provided with the rare honour of being memorialised during his lifetime

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton & Bernard O'Neil, History Trust of South Australia | River Torrens | 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, early twenty–first century

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War had a significant impact on South Australian political life, and the course and character of opposition aroused by the war and conscription for it were different in Adelaide than in other capital cities.

Historical Event | By Malcolm Saunders | late twentieth century, mid twentieth century

War Memorial

Architect Louis Laybourne-Smith and sculptor George Rayner Hoff created a memorial that conveys the impact of the First World War

Historical Thing | By Jude Elton, History Trust of South Australia | North Terrace | 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 2000-2010

War Memorial Fountain

South Australia became the first state in Australia to build a memorial for the First World War.

Historical Thing | By South Australian School for Vision Impaired (SASVI) | North Terrace | 1930s

Adelaidia